Convertible bedstead



y 1968 A. D. SPENCER 3,383,718

CONVERTI BLE BEDSTEAD Filed Sept. 20, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

AARON D. SPENCER BY J ATTORNEY.

May 21, 1968 A. D. SPENCER CONVERTIBLE BEDSTEAD 5 Sheets-Sheet 1*;

Filed Sept. 20, 1966 FIG],

INVENTOR.

AARON D. SPENCER ATTORNEY.

y 21, 1968 A. D. SPENCER 3,383,718

CONVERTIBLE BEDSTEAD Filed Sept. 20, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. ll.

. i i y I! INVENTOR. AARON D. SPENCER ATTO RNEY.

United States Patent 3,383,718 CONVERTIBLE BEDSTEAD Aaron D. Spencer, 34 Elizabeth Circle, Longnieadow, Mass. 01166 Filed Sept. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 589,679 9 Claims. (Cl. -100) This invention relates generally to bedsteads and more especially to bedsteads serving either as .a crib for an infant or as a youth bed for a child who is too old for a crib, but not yet old enough for an adult-size bed.

Herein, I provide both a method of converting a bedstead and a structure with respect to the design and co figuration of certain of the instrumentalities and the coaction of certain embodiments thereof whereby such method can be put to practice.

The basic concept envisions the provisions of a twopart end subassembly of a crib having cooperant side rail slide means associated therewith and wherein, from its form as a unitary end subassembly of a babys crib, one part thereof may be removed and concomitant adjustments in the associated drop side slide means may be made so as to fore-shorten said end subassembly thereby making it adaptable for use as an end subassembly of a youth bed. Of course, it follows that the reverse procedure permits the conversion of a youth bed back to a crib.

Admittedly, bedsteads convertible between baby cribs and youth beds have been known before now. For example, in the instance of my own earlier prior patent, No. 3,135,973 dated June 9, 1964, one type of convertible arrangement is taught wherein one of the crib drop sides is of a two-part construction, the two parts being selectively separable for defining a pair of youth bed side rails.

The invention, in one sense, starts where said earlier invention left off and is based upon two primary desiderate: (1) to satisfy the esthetic sense and provide a baby crib which, when converted to a youth bed, will have the appearance of same; and (2) to overcome the psychological situation developed when a child, sensing that he has outgrown his crib, indicates a reluctance, if not unwillingness, to continue in a use thereof, if such represents merely the crib with its drop sides modified and/ or readjusted and/ or replaced.

The invention offers an ability to make one of the end subassemblies of a bedstead either shorter, by the removal of one of the parts of its two-part construction, or longer, by the combining of one of the parts with the other of the parts of its two-part construction, according, of course, to what it is desired to convert from and to.

In broadest definition, the invention envisions, in the case of a crib, a system which includes the provisions of a two-part headboard or of a two-part footboard, as desired, wherein the upper or the lower of the parts thereof may be removed, also as desired, so as to provide the foreshortened foot board of a youth bed, all to the end that the child who has outgrown the crib may be readily provided with a youth bed having the appearance of a conventional adult bed incorporating the usual higher head board and lower foot board subassemblies.

By way of background and in order best to dramatize the invention, it must be explained that it is conventional today for crib manufacturers to include among their designs and models, cribs incorporating a headboard (normally positioned adjacent a wall) having a panel, so described as a result of having a pair of relatively long supporting legs with a shorter panel, and a foot board (normally positioned inwardly of the said wall) having a full-length panel, so described as a result of having a pair of shorter supporting legs and a larger 3,333,718 Patented May 21, 1968 panel. As cribs are normally and most frequently viewed from the front or foot, the reasoning is allowed that the long legs of the headboard are usually not observable, the generally observable effect being only of a bedstead wherein the opposite end panels are seemingly of substantially equal height with the topmost horizontal planes of those end subassemblies and of the interconnecting drop sides on the opposite sides being coplanar. Economies of manufacture are obviously effected so as to contribute to the common acceptance of cribs of such type, all making the present system feasible.

Generally speaking, youth beds are made from cribs, but those known in the art sulfer from the disadvantage that the converted youth bed still retains the two high end subassernblies and lacks the appearance or feel of a youth bed with both a high subassembly and a low subasse-mbly. Herein, I teach the technique of using one of the high subassemblies of the crib and rearranging or modifying it so as to be a low subassernbly, thereby to give the esthetic appearance of a youth bed with the accompanying psychological advantages allowed thereby.

Preferentially, but not obligatorily, it here is envisioned that the relatively long legs representing the lower portion of such a crib head board will be removable so as to allow a shorter or lowered end subassembly for adaptation as a footboard of a youth bed. Nontheless, it is to be emphasized, from the beginning, that the invention, in broadest aspects, comprehends the removal of either the upper or lower portions of either a headboard or footboard of a crib, all so as to allow the lowered appearance of a footboard of a youth bed. When so removed, the converted subassembly is seen to incorporate a fulllength subassembly.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the so-called common form of bed crib with the features of the present invention incorporated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 crib converted to a youth bed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and wherein the head board of the FIG. 1 crib serves as the footboard of the FIG. 2 bed, the lower part of the FIG. 1 headboard being the removable component for this purpose;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first modified form of bed crib with the features of the present invention incorporated therewith;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the FIG. 3 crib converted to a youth bed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and wherein the upper part of the FIG. 3 footboard is the removable component in the conversion;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second modified form of bed crib with the features of the invention incorporated thereinto;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the FIG. 5 crib co verted to a youth bed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and wherein the upper part of the FIG. 5 headboard is the removable component in the conversion;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third modified form of bed crib with the features of the invention incorporated thereinto;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the FIG. 7 crib converted to a youth bed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and wherein the lower part of the FIG. 7 footboard is the removable component in the conversion;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the FIG. 1 crib on a larger scale;

FIG. 10 is a rear end elevational view of the FIG. 9 crib;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the FIG. 9 crib converted to a youth bed in accordance with the teachings of the invention and substituting youth side rails for crib drop sides;

FIG. 12 is a front end elevational view of the converted FIG. 11 bed;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary, part-sectional side elevational view of one of the corner posts and slide rods of the headboard subassembly of the FIG. 9 crib;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, part-sectional side elevational view of one of the corner posts and slide rods of the footboard subassembly of the FIG. 11 crib; and

FIG. is an enlarged, fragmentary part-sectional side elevational view of a modified form of slide rod subassembly.

Referring to the crib/youth beds exemplified in FIGS. 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, attention is first called to the headboard subassembly, generally indicated by 10, and which will be seen to be disposed in a vertical plane and to be comprised of an end panel 12 which may, if desired, be framed as by suitable spaced horizontallyextended top and bottom cross rails 13 and 14 respectively and spaced opposite vertically-extended side rails 16 and 16 serving as corner posts in known manner and extending downwardly below bottom cross rail 14 to define a pair of vertical parallel legs, which legs can be equipped with the usual casters if desired.

Similarly, the footboard subassembly, generally indicated by 20, will be seen to be disposed in a vertical plane and to be comprised of an end panel 22 which may, if desired, be framed as by suitably spaced horizontallyextending top and bottom cross rails 23 and 24 respectively and spaced vertically-extended opposite side rails 26 and 26 serving as corner posts in known manner and extending downwardly below bottom cross rail 24 to define a pair of vertical parallel legs, likewise mounting the usual casters in known manner if desired.

For reasons of economy of manufacture, it has been conventional to associate the headboard subassembly with relatively long legs, it being the more rearwardly-disposed subassembly with respect to the room in which it is normally located and thus the less likely to be seen, and to associate the footboard subassembly with relatively short legs, it being the more forwardly-disposed subassembly with respect to the room and the more likely to be seen.

The headboard and footboard subassemblies are spaced as to each other by the usual mattress-supporting spring means 30, mounted in any practical manner, as for example by engagement at its opposite ends with verticallydisposed spring means suspension brackets 32 provided on each said side rail 16 and/ or 26, as the case may be.

A drop side slide rod 34 is associated with each side rail, being ofiset at its upper end as at 36 and detachably secured thereat to its respective side as by a screw 38 or the like, so as to be disposed in spaced parallelism with the respective side rail, there being an apertured angle bracket 40 strategically located relative to and mounted on each side rail and adapted to receive through its opening the free lower extremity of the respective rail drop side slide rod.

As is conventional, drop sides of the form shown in FIG. 1, and generally indicated by 50, are provided, each comprising the usual spaced top and bottom horizontallyextending cross rails 52 and 54 and spaced verticallyextending slats 56 interconnecting said cross rails, the top and bottom cross rails being suitably apertured to allow for their sleeving on the respective drop side slide rods, all in known manner.

Drop side 50 may be provided with a locking means, as for example, a pair of the usual gate shoes 68, 68 cooperating with a conventional spring-pressed, pivoted latch 60 for holding the drop side in its raised position, such parts being well known in the art so as not to dictate further description here, it being understood that the drop side can be held at its upper enclosing position (as shown in FIG. 1) or dropped therefrom to its lower non-enclosing position whereat the bottom cross rail 54 of the drop side rests on such as the usual bumper springs 62, all as is old and well known in the art.

Headboard 10 of FIGS. 1 and 9 is of two-part construction in the respect that vertical side rails 16 are each formed of an upper portion 16a and a lower portion 1612 which is releasably secured to said upper portion as by an upwardly-projecting pin or rod 64 having a lower extremity fitted into a suitable opening in portion 16b and an upper extremity projecting upwardly therefrom and being receivable as by a friction fit in a suitable aligned opening in portion 16a, wherefor the parts may be held together and readily separated from each other as disengagement is desired. As will shortly be observed, means is provided to insure that they will be positively held together until such separation is indicated.

Similarly, the associated slide rods are each formed of an upper part 34a and a lower part 34b, said parts being releasably interconnected as by a tapped opening in the lower end of the upper part adapted to receive an upper threaded end of the lower part. In this way, the two parts, once so assembled, are held together until separation is indicated.

When both parts of a rail slide rod are employed, as in the case of the FIGS. 1 and 9 crib, the lower end of lower part 34b is extendable through the opening of angle bracket 40 and is secured relative thereto as by a bolt 66 extendable into a threaded opening in lower part 34b, wherefor it can be appreciated that the slide rods of the pair thereof and their associated components serve as the means for retaining together the parts of the two-part headboard subassembly until separation is desired.

To lower the headboard subassembly to the position exemplified in FIGS. 2 and 11 and 12, bolts 66 are disengaged from the lower parts 34b of the associated drop side slide rods and said lower parts are disengaged from the respective upper parts 34a so as to allow the disengagement of lower parts 16b from upper parts 16a of the vertical side rails, thus permitting separation of the upper and lower parts of the headboard.

The angle brackets are now removed from lower parts 16b of the side rails and are strategically relocated relative to and mounted on upper parts 16a of the side rails so as to be adapted to receive therethrough the free lower extremities of upper parts 34a of the drop side slide rods, a set of second position pilot holes being provided for the purpose. The shortened rods can then be used with the shortened headboard subassembly.

Bolts 66 may now, if desired, be threaded in the tapped openings in the lower ends of upper parts 34a to secure the drop side slide rods to the angle brackets.

The head panel is now seen to be supported by the foreshortened legs.

Spring means 30 is similarly disengaged from its first position on the headboard and is relocated in a second position so that mattress 67, supported by the spring means, is disposed in a horizontal plane.

It is to be mentioned here that the vertical height of the lower part 16b of each vertical side rail will correspond to the vertical height of lower part 34b of each drop side slide rod so that, in the conversion process, the extent of the foreshortening of both sets of components is the same.

So converted, the bedstead may then be turned around so that the former headboard subassembly now serves as the footboard subassembly of the converted bedstead, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11, all whereby what was formerly g grib now has the appearance and function of a youth The bedstead may be provided with suitable decorative indicia, predicated upon the interests of a child who has left babyhood so as to be more suitable for use in connection with a youth, same being placed on the outboard or rearward face of the panel of the headboard and the inboard side of the panel of the footboard so as not to be exposed to view until the bedstead is turned following conversion into a youth bed so that then, for the first time, such indicia are generally visible.

Otherwise, the bedstead may be provided with decorative indicia predicated upon a baby theme so as to be suitable for use in connection with a baby, same being placed on the inboard side of the panel of the head board and/or on the outboard side of the panel of the footboard so as to be in view when the bedstead is employed as a babys crib and to be out of sight when employed as a youth bed.

Further alternatively, the bedstead may be provided with appropriate decorative indicia on certain sides of the panels for viewing only when used as a crib with other appropriate decorative indicia on certain other sides of the panels so as to be viewed only when used as a youth bed.

An alternative drop side slide rod construction is shown in FIG. 15, wherein a drop side slide rod 134 is comprised of an upper part 134a and a lower part 134b, said parts being releasably interconnected as by a tapped opening in the lower end of the upper part adapted to receive an upper threaded end of the lower part, the lower end of the lower part being extendable through the opening of an angle bracket 140 and being secured thereto as by a nut 166 threadedly engaged with a lower threaded end of the lower part.

In this embodiment, when the upper and lower parts are separated and the lower end of the upper part is inserted through the opening of the angle bracket, nut 166 is threadedly engaged with an externally threaded portion provided on the lower end of the upper part to secure the drop side slide rod to the angle bracket.

As a part of the conversion process, the drop sides are removed so as to allow substitution therefor of youth bed sides, one exemplification of which is shown in FIG. 11 as comprising a horizontally-extending configured top cross rail 72 defining a high end 72a and a low end 72b and a horizontally extending bottom cross rail 74, said cross rails being interconnected as by spaced slats or spindles 76, said cross rails being adapted to mount on the drop side slide rods in the same manner as drop sides.

In the crib/youth beds of FIGS. 3 and 4, the headboard subassembly is generally indicated by 210 and the footboard subassembly by 220.

In this embodiment, the tootboard subassembly 220 is of two-part construction in the respect that vertical side rails 226 thereof are each formed of a lower portion 226a and an upper portion 22Gb releasably secured to said lower portion as by a downwardly-projecting pin 264 receivable with a friction fit in a suitable opening in lower portion 226a wherefor the parts may be held together and may be readily separated from each other when disengagement is desired.

Additionally, the footboard subassembly comprises an end panel 222 formed of a lower portion 222a and an upper portion 222b lower portion 222a being framed by suitably spaced horizontally-extending top and bottom cross rails 223a and 224a respectively, and upper portion 22212 being framed by suitably spaced horizontally-extending top and bottom cross rails 223b and 224b respectively.

Bottom cross rail 2231) of the upper panel portion rests on upper cross rail 223a of the lower portion when the structure is employed as a crib, as in FIG. 3.

Drop side slide rods 234 are associated with the corner posts of the headboard and footboard subassemblies, with the slide rods of the footboard subassembly being of twopart construction comprising a lower part 234a and an upper part 2341?.

Conventional drop sides 250 are sleeved on the respective slide rods in known manner when the structure is employed as a crib, as in FIG. 3.

When converting to the youth bed of FIG. 4, the drop sides are removed and youth bed sides 272 are substituted therefor, and the lower part 234a of the footboard slide rods and the upper part 222b of the end panel are removed.

The upper ends of the slide rods are now fixed to the lower parts 226a of the adjacent corner posts of the footboard and may be fixed at their lower ends in angle brackets 240 in the manner earlier described with reference to FIGS. 14 or 15.

In the crib/youth beds of FIGS. 5 and 6, the headboard subassembly is generally indicated by 310 and the footboard subassembly by 320.

In this embodiment, the headboard subassembly 310 is of two-part construction similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3 and comprises lower portion 310a and an upper portion 31011 releasably secured to the lower portion as by downwardly projecting pins 364 receivable as by a friction fit in suitable openings in the lower portion.

The drop side slide rods 334 associated with the headboard subassernbly are also two-part, comprising a lower portion 334a and an upper portion 334b.

To convert from the crib of FIG. 5 to the youth bed of FIG. 6, the conventional crib drop sides 350 are removed and youth sides 372 substituted; the upper portion 31Gb of the head board subassembly and the lower portions 33411 of the slide rods 334 are removed, whereupon the slide rods are fixed to the lower portion of the headboard subassembly by 420.

In the crib/ youth beds of FIGS. 7 and 8, the headboard subassembly is generally indicated by 410 and the footboard subassembly by 420.

In this embodiment, the footboard subassembly is of two-part construction similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 and comprises an upper portion 420a and a lower portion 420!) releasably secured to the upper portion by upwardly projecting pins 464 receivable as by a friction fit in suitable openings in the upper portion.

The drop side slide rods 434 associated with the footboard are also two-part, comprising an upper part 434a and a lower part 434b.

To convert from the crib of FIG. 7 to the youth bed of FIG. 8, the conventional crib drop sides 450 are removed and youth sides 472 substituted; the lower portion 42Gb of the tootboard subassembly and the lower por tions 43 th of the slide rods are removed whereupon the slide rods are fixed to the upper portion of the footboard in manner as already described.

It is obvious that the bed may be converted from one type to another and that it may be made in various styles and designs and that modifications may be made in some details of construction without departing from the general spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A convertible crib and youth bed comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced end panels;

(b) a pair of slide rods on the inboard side of each of the end panels;

(c) drop sides slidable upon the slide rods and extendable between the end panels;

(d) one of the end panels being of two-part construction with each of its respective slide rods being of two part construction and including an upper portion and a lower portion with first means for releasably interjoining the upper and lower portions together and second means for releasably connecting the interjoined portions to each of the parts of the end panel of two-part construction, with alternate means for releasably joining the upper portions of the slide rods to the remaining part of the end panel of two-part construction following removal of one part of the two-part end panel and removal of the lower portion of each of the two-part slide rods in the shortening of the end panel and the pair of slide rods.

2. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 1, wherein the means for releasably joining together the upper and lower portions of each of the slide rods comprises, a threaded portion on the upper end of the lower portion of the slide rod threadedly engageable in a tapped opening in the lower end of theupper portion of the slide rod.

3. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 1, wherein the means for releasably joining the lower portion of each slide rod to the end panel of two part construction comprises, a bracket on said end panel having an opening therein for receiving the lower end of the lower portion of the slide rod therethrough and a bolt extending through the opening in the bracket and threadedly engaged in a tapped opening in the lower end of the lower portion of the slide rod.

4. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 3, wherein said bolt also constitutes the means for releasably joining the upper portion of the slide rod to the end panel following removal of said lower portion of the slide rod and said one part of the end panel, said bolt extending through the opening in the bracket on the end panel and being threadedly engaged in a tapped opening in the lower end of the upper portion of the slide rod.

5. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 1, wherein the means for releasably joining the lower portion of each slide rod to the end panel of two-part construction comprises, a bracket on said end panel having an opening therein for receiving the lower end of the lower portion of the slide rod therethrough, an external thread on the lower end of said lower portion and a nut threadedly engaged with said threaded portion.

6. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 5, wherein said nut also constitutes the means for releasably joining the upper portion of the slide rod to the end panel following removal of said lower portion of the slide rod and said one part of the end panel, the lower end of said upper portion extending through the opening in the bracket and being externally threaded and said nut being threadedly engaged therewith.

7. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 1,

wherein the means for releasably joining the upper portion of the slide rod to the end panel following removal of the lower portion of the slide rod and said one part of the end panel comprises, a bracket on said end panel having an opening therein for receiving the lower end of the upper portion of the slide rod therethrough.

8. A convertible crib and youth bed comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced end panels;

(b) a pair of slide rods on the inboard side of each of the end panels;

(c) drop sides on the slide rods and extending between the end panels;

((1) one of the end panels including legs removably attached thereto;

(e) one pair of the two pairs of slide rods being of twopart construtcion;

(f) the removable legs of the one end panel and one part of each of the pair of two-part slide rods being removable for shortening the said end panel and the slide rods of said pair thereof.

9. A convertible crib and youth bed according to claim 8, wherein the spaced end panels constitute a crib headboard and a crib footboard, wherein the end panel with the removable legs is the crib headboard with the legs being removable to convert the end panel to a youth bed foothoard.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 273,287 3/1883 Johnstone 5-82 2,266,370 12/1941 Kratky 5-100 2,677,832 5/1954 Christensen 5-93 3,135,973 6/1964 Spencer 5100 3,299,450 1/1967 Gottfried et al. 5-100 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVERTIBLE CRIB AND YOUTH BED COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF SPACED END PANELS; (B) A PAIR OF SLIDE RODS ON THE INBOARD SIDE OF EACH OF THE END PANELS; (C) DROP SIDES SLIDABLE UPON THE SLIDE RODS AND EXTENDABLE BETWEEN THE END PANELS; (D) ONE OF THE END PANELS BEING OF TWO-PART CONSTRUCTION WITH EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE SLIDE RODS BEING OF TWO PART CONSTRUCTION AND INCLUDING AN UPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION WITH FIRST MEANS FOR RELEASABLY INTERJOINING THE UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS TOGETHER AND SECOND MEANS FOR RELEAABLY CONNECTIONG THE INTERJOINED PORTIONS TO EACH OF THE PARTS OF THE END PANEL OF TWO-PART CONSTRUCTION, WITH ALTERNATE MEANS FOR RELEASABLY JOINING THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE SLIDE RODS TO THE REMAINING PART OF THE END PANEL OF TWO-PART CONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF ONE PART OF THE TWO-PART END PANEL AND REMOVAL OF THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH OF THE TWO-PART SLIDE RODS IN THE SHORTENING OF THE END PANEL AND THE PAIR OF SLIDE RODS. 